Electric controller



Jan. '12 ,1926.

1,569,61 1 F. H. BULLINGER ELECTRIC CONTROLLER Filed July 29, -1921 s sheets-sheet 1 Jan. 12,1926. l 1,569,611 F. H. BULLVINGER ELECTRIC CONTROLLER Filed July 29, 1921 3 sheets-sheet 2 Jan. 12 ,1926. 1,569,611

F. H. BULLINGER ELECTRIC CONTROLLER Filed July 29, 1921 3 SheetS-Sheet 5 1'mmllllllllrmlmlllw Patented lJan. l2, 1926.

' UNITED STATES FREDERICEIENRY BULLINGER, YONKEBS, NEW YORK, ASBIGNOB T0 WARD LEONARD ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC CONTROLLER.

Application med 'July 29, 192,1. serial ivo. 488,285.

To all aU/tome?? may concern.'

Be it known that I, FREDERIC H. BULLIN- Gnu, a citizen of the A United States, residing at Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric 'Cont-rollers, of which the following is a a storage battery, a`charging dynamo also used as a motor for starting the gas engine, and the whole being adapted for supplying lightandpower. The controlling means vof this invention controls. the various circuits forV operating the dynamo as a motor for starting the engine, also controls the ignitioncircuit of the engine and likewise provides automatic means for closing the charging circuit when the dynamo has attained proper` voltage, provides for the automatic opening of the charging circuit when the voltage of the dynamo becomes too low, or upon, the passage of a reverse current, and also provides a no-voltage ignition release for making the ignition circuit ineffective upon the occurrence of no voltage,

The main ob'ect of my invention is to provide controllmg means of the above character which will insure proper sequence of control and proper4 operation of the parts without any dependence upon the skill of the operator and provide a construction whicl will stand rough usage, be well enclosed and protected so as to avoid tampering with the device, and-small in size and compact and durable in construction and effective in operation and in the proper making and brea ing ofthe circuits at the contacts. Another object is to provideta single controlling element for'- operation by-the user so as to make its use convenient and simple, moving the single controlling element in one direction for starting and in the opposite direction for stopping.

Another particular object is to insure the proper control of-"the ignition circuit during starting and the\maintenance of the ignition circuit in proper condition for operation as 'longas proper ignition voltage is available', but to cause the ignition 'circuit toy be rendered ineffective automatically upon failure or lack of proper voltage.

Another Objectis to so relate allA of the parts to each other that they are well adapted to effectively co-operate with certainty of operatlon in roper sequence and relationship; and to a so so form theelements of the device and their relationship to each other that they may be easily formed or stamped out from sheet material and conveniently and quickly assembledv with minimum cost of labor and material.

These and other objects and advantagesof my invention will bemore fully understood by those skilled in the art from the following description and accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention. v

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved electric controlling means; Fig. `2 is a front elevation of the apparatus with the cover and controlling magnet and certain other parts removed; Fig. 3 is aside view of the parts shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a side view of the controlling magnet and automatic cutoutl switch with some parts in section; Fig. 5 is a rear view of the cover and autos matic cutout switch; Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line 6-'6 of Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is a side view'of the snap switch in closed position; Fig.` 8 is a side view of the snap switch vin the position at which it is about` to snap to closed position; Fig. 9 is a'diagram of' connections, and Fig. 10 is a diagram of connections showing theE adaptation of m improvenient to the control of different y arranged circuits.

Referring to composed of a sheet metalplate having its side edges bentbackwardly and forwardly Figs. 2 andB, the base 1 so as to form vertical grooves 1 and forwardly extending edges 1".V At the upper end of the base plate is a forwardly extending part 1c bent at right angles to the base plate, and also havin a downwardly extend- 'ing edge 1d with ho es by which the cover` The' also has perforated ears 1t bent atA rightangles to the part 1 by means of which' the cover may be riveted to the base. .The portion 1a of the'base also, has a roundedextension 1 on each corner-which ,extends upwardly. A thin s trip'fof sheet'metal 2 bent j in the form of the letter U closes the sides nd t0 0f the deviclpy being Sliddowll rom e top inthe grooves 1'* and secured:

filo

to the parts 1 ofthe base b screws 2 as a similar sheet Iiai-covers the rear of the upper half of the base plate. `On theV insulation 4 are mounted four flat terminal blocks 5, 5*, 5b and 5; and mounted directly on the base plate below the insulation 4 is another terminal block 5d. These terminal strips or `blocks have terminal screws '6 secured thereto and extending through the base plate to afford means for connection of the parts in circuit at the rear of the apparatus. Under the terminal 5* is a flat copper strip which is in electrical connection with the terminal 5P and has a lower forwardlyturned edge 7a extending at an angle of about 45 to the base. The plate 7 forms the fixed contact .of the main circuit for starting puroses. p The movable portion of the main vswitch or starting switch. and its method of cooperating with the fixed contact wlll now be described (see particularly Figs. 2, 3, 7 and 8). A strip 8 of sheet metal extends along the lower portion of the base plate and '1s' riveted thereto or otherwise suitably From the upper left-hand corner of the strip 8, an extenslon extends upwardly and carries two forwardly extending ears 8'L bent at right angles to the base plate, thus forming a troufrh for the reception and support of the movahle portions of the snap switch. The

` when the switch is open.

side portions 8L have a specially formed cam shaped periphery, shown in 3. A pin 9 is supported by and extends through the ears 8*, and has its left-hand end o reduced diameter and riveted over the outside portion 8, thus simply and securely fixing the pin 9 in position. Between the portions 8* and pivotally mounted upon the'pin 9 is a sheet metal'element 10 o'f U-shape. The sides of the element 10 extend downwardly-and forwardly and each 'side carries a projection 10 bent at right angles to the side portions and extending outwardly therefrom; The right-hand portion of the element 10 carries an extension 10", the lower end of which hasa part 10 bent at right angles to the part 10" and curved slightly so as to present a rounded lower surface. The inner end of the portion 10 engages the plate 8 when in normal position and serves as a stop for the parts Another U-shaped element 11, also formed of sheet metal has its sides embracing the' sides of the pivoted element'lO and is p1v of the side portions of the element 11 has an' inwardly extending projection 11 as shown in Figs. 3, 7 and 8. These projections 1] engage the periphery of the side portions 8" and are adapted to travel along this periphery during the closing movement of the` switch when the element 10 is turned upon its pivot to close the switch, giving a peculiar compound movement of the parts as below described. The upper portion of the U-shaped elementY 11 connects the two sides thereof and carries a screw 11d which engages and secures to the element 11 the movable contact 12. This contact is shown 'as a copper strip having two portions at Yright angles to each other, one of these portions extending under 'the upper end of the U shaped element 11 and being permanently secured thereto by the screw 1l".

A retracting spring 13 is Secured at one end to the inner end of the screw 11b and at the other end to the outer end of a post 8", which is formed by an extensionof thefsheet metal strip 8 being bent at right angles to the base. v

The operating element of the device, or in other words, the manually moved element, is Yshown as a square post 14 pivotally mounted at its inner end on the strip 8 and base plate. The element 14 extends forwardly and passes through the cover 3 and has ixed'thereto a wing-nut 14L at its outer end. A sheet metal strip 15 embraces two sides of the element 14 as shown in Fig. 2.and is riveted or other wise secured thereto, and has an extension 15 extending to the left and is adapted to .engage the outer rounded surface of the'portion' 10 of the pivoted element 10 so 'that' when the element 14 is`turned in a clockwise line of action of the spring 13 is in front of spring by reason of its pivotal connectionV .with the element 10. But during this movement the projections 11'l of the element 11 are caused to slide along the peripheries ofV the portions 8, being held in engagement therewith by the pressure of the spring 13.

The resultis that as the closing movementcontinues, and the pivotal support of the element V11 approaches the line of action of the spring, the t of the projections Lumen 1 1 on'the portions 8a will cause the element 11 to be turned on its pivotal connection with the element '10 and so cause the upper end of the element 11 to be moved inwardly 5 and thus cause the upper end'of the spring to also be moved inwardly and the line or' action of the spring to 'be thrown past the pivotal support of the element 11 on the element 10. This causes the switch to be suddenly snapped to the closed position shown in Fig. .7, and as the line of action of the spring is carried a. considerable distance a Iwithin the pivotal support of the element 11 beforethe contacts are actually engaged, it 15 results in the switch being closed with a considerable blow and in a. firm contact being made at the upper lor flat portion of' the fixedl contact 7 to establish the circuit. The operator holds the wing-nut l14: in its deflected position after the switch is closed', as long as necessary for causing the dynamo acting as a motor to start the engine, and as soon as the engine starts, the operator releasesthe wing-nut 14a. But the construction is such that whether the operator quickly or very slowly releases the wingnut, an efective and sudden breaking of the circuit by thesnap switch is insured, and 4 there is no intermediate point of uncertain contact before the circuit is effectively broken. Considering the parts in the position shown in Fig. 7, it will be seen that when the operator releases the wing-nut. the spring 13' will draw the movable contact down across the surface of the fixed contact 7 until it engages the bent portion 7 a. With this downward movement, the element 10 is being turned about its pivot and the element 11 is also being turned about its pivot per- U mitting the spring to firmly hold the movl able contact against the fixed contact in its downward travel. When the movable con-f tact engages the bent edge 7 a, the spring continues to draw the movable contact firmly against its surface andto draw the movable contact over the inclined surface. As the line Iof action of the spring approaches the axis of the pivotal supportof the element 11, the movement of the movable contact over the inclined surface 7 a causes the upper end 'of the element 11 to be shifted outwardly and as this carries the outer end of the "spring outwardly also, the result is that the line of action of the spring is suddenly thrown past the axis of the element 11. This causes the spring tov quickly throw the mov'able. contact from engagement with the inclined surface of the fixed contact giving an abrupt break with a minimum amount of arcing.

This rapid and firm closure of the contacts secures a firm engagement, an'd together with Y the sliding action of the movable contact over the face of the fixed contact, and the abrupt break of the contacts as abovedescribed at adierent surface than that at which the closing of the contacts is made, insures keeping the cont-acts clean and in good operating condition without material deterioration with continued use and also insures fan effective .closing and opening of the switch.

The automatic switch for closing and opening the charging circuit between the dynamo and the battery is mounted upon and carried by the cover plate 3 (see Figs. 4 and 5). It comprises magnet 16 made up of stamped sheets'riveted together to form the necessary thickness and in this instance is shown E-shaped having a central leg 16a, an upper leg 1,6 and a lower leg 16". The central leg carries a. shunt winding 17 surrounded by a series winding 18, the windings being separated from the cover by a sheet 19 of insulating material. The four leads from these windings pass through holes in the cover plate and are soldered or otherwise suitably connectedto the terminals or contacts as hereinafter described. The inner ends of the magnet pass through the cover plate as shown in Fig. 4, the outer legs being notched toengage the outer surface of the cover.

The armature 20 is in the form of a fiat strip of sheet iron or steel and is pivotally supported at its lower end by a thin strip 21 of phosphor bronze or other suitable material. This strip is clamped to the inner lower endof the armature by a sheet metal piece 22 which has projecting extensions engaging the edges and face of the lower end of the armature.` Another sheet metal element 23 is bent around the inner end of the,v leg 16c of the magnet and has supporting portions 2 3 bent at right angles and cngaging the inner face of the cover plate. The phosphor bronze strip 21 passes under the central portion of the strip 23: and on the inner face of the end of the phosphor' bronze strip is another sheet metal rectangular piece 24 having projections 24 which pass through holes in the strip 23, the projections 24 being bent over the face of the strip 23 and therebysecurely clamping the hinging strip to the element 23. The element 23 also has projections 23, and 23, which are bent to extend away from the element 23, and serve to carry the retracting spring 24a of the armature. The spring 24 is" in thepform'of a wire and is fulcrumed in a notch in the element 23, the outer end of the wire being 4placed under a hook formed in the element 23". The elements 23a and 23"v are bendable by means of pliers so as to plate engage a sheet meta-l strip 26 on the face of the cover. The element 26 engages a notch in the leg V16 of the magnet so that the screws 25 serve not only to hold the element 23 and parts carried thereby in fixed position, but also by means of the plate 26 serves" to clamp the lower leg of the magjnet firmly against the cover plate. ,The upper end of the amature has fixed thereto the movable contact 27 which is Yshown in the form of a sheet metal copper stripV which has soldered thereto a lead 27. The fixed contact 28 is also in the form of a sheet metal copper element bent into position to receive the movable contact 27 when the armature of the magnet is attracted. The

` fixed contact 28 has extensions 28 which are embraced and supported on opposite sides by insulating strips 29. A. metal strip 30 extends along the upper face of the upper insulating strip 29 and receives screws 31 by which the fixed contacts and insulating parts are supported on a sheet metal supporting strip 32. This sheet metal element 32 has its main 'portion engaging the inner face of the cover plate and has extensions bent at right angles to receive the screws 31. The element 32 also has the extension which receives one of the screws 31 extended to form a projection 32", which extends over the end of the armature 20 and serves as a' back-stop to limit its retracted position. This extension 32n is bendable so that the outer position of the armature may be adjusted to the exact sition' required and will of course retain lts adjustment permanently. On the face of the cover plate is a sheet metal strip 33 which engages a. notch in the upper leg 16 of themagnet.v The screws 34 pass through the element 32 and through the cover plate particularly Figs. 2, 3 and 6) is functionally related to Vthe manually operated element 14 and to the electro-magnet already described.

The contact block 5 is connected to the i `nition supply circuit, andhas a forwar y bent edge 35 on which is pivotally mounted a.sheet' metal Yelement 36. The element 36 is L-shaElxll1 and has one leg 36'l a stop to 't one position of this element by engaging the insulating sheet 4. This leg '36'` has a notch which is engaged by one end of a spring 37 whichpasses around the pivot of the element 36 and has one end 37l engag- 'circuit.

ing the insulating sheet 4, whereby this spring 37 normally tends to hold the contact element 36 so' that the leg 36*` engages the insulating sheet 4. The other leg 36" of the element 36 extends forwardly and has an end 36 bent at right angles thereto to form a contacting surface for the ignition supply The sheet metal element 8 at the ri hthand end thereof has an upwardly vextenfiu portion 8b to which is pivotally connected a sheet metal element 38. This element has a portion 382 engaging the extension 8b and pivotally supported thereon. .From the portion 38* extends at rightangles thereto a part 3S.b which has an extension to the left which engages the pin 9' to serve as a sto Upwardly from the part 38h and at rig t =angles thereto the element 38 continues and at its upper end carries -"contact pin' 38 which is adapted to engage the contact face 36 of the element 36. Bent. at right an les to the upper end of the element 38 is anot 1er extending portion 38,- which extends inwardly toward the middle leg 16* of the controlling magnet.

Froin the portion 38* of the element 38 a projection 38 extends in the direction of the operating element 14. The sheet metal element 15 carried by the element 14 has an upwardly extending portion 15" and a part 15 at right angles thereto.' A spring 39 in the form of a wire has one end engaging a hole in the portion 38b of the element 38 as shown in Fig. 2, and passes above the pivotal axis of the element 38 and downwardly to the right and has its lower end fixed to the element 8. For this purpose the right-hand end of the element 8 is provided with forwardly extending projections 8c and SVwith a slot between them. The wire 39 passes through this slot and enters a hole in the projection 8d and 'thereby supports the lower end of the spring 39. Theprojections 8 and 8l are bendable so that the tension imposed on the element 38 by the spring 39 may be properly and permanently adj usted. Y

operation when the manual element 14 is turned clockwise by the'winglnut, the

portion 15"v carried by the element 14 engages the end of the extension 38 and thereby turns the element 38 counter-clockwise on its pivot. This causes the upper contacting portion o the element 38 to engage the contacting face 36 of the element 36 closing' ignition supply circuit, and as the movement Yis continued, the element 36 is turned on its pivot against the action of spring 37 and the.

contact with the element 38 is maintained. This movement also carries the part 38* oi the element 38 which isof soft iron or steel,

near the inner end of the leg 16* of the magnet; and if the magnet is suiciently and properly energized, it will retain the element 38 in the tion to whi h it hasbeen forced byth'.` operator, and thus maintain the igl niti'on circuit. But if there is not suliicient volta e or if the voltage should drop at any time elow a. minimum limit.. the magnet will no longer hold the element 38 in its retracted position, and the spring 39 will then carry the element 38 to the right and break the ignition circuit connection with the element 36. When the element 38 is retracted by its spring, the extension from the portion 38b engages the pin 9 and serves as a stop for the element 38 after connection has been broken with the element 36.

'If' during normal operation of the apparatus, it be desired to stop the engine, the Wing-nut 14 is merely turned slightly in a counter-clockwise direction and the element 38 is thereby forcibly thrown from the position in which it is held by the magnet, and so causes the interruption of the ignition circuit. This action is due to the fact that when the element 14 is turned counter-clockwise, the extension l5" engages the left-hand end of the portion 38b and thereby causes the element 38 to be turned in a clockwise direction about its pivot and so interrupt the ignition circuit. The part 15 is provided to serve as a stop for the element 14 when turned counter-clockwise, the movement being limited by the portion 15c engaging the right-hand portion 8a of the element 8.

In starting it will be apparent that the element 14 not only serves to close the snap switch but it likewise serves to close the ignition supply circuit in the manner already described and the parts are so related and proportioned that the ignition supply circuit is closed before the snap switch is closed and is maintained closed by the mag` net even after the operator releases the element 14 and after the snap switch has opened.

The electrical connections of the parts already described are shown in Fig. 9, where corresponding parts are similarly numbered. The storage battery is indicated at 40, the gas engine at 42, and the dynamo armature 41 is shown as having a shunt iield winding 41a and a series field winding 41h. The contact 5d being mounted upon the base plate forms the ground of the system and is electrically connected with one terminal of the battery. The element 38 is obviously in elec.- trical connection with the Contact 5d and when moved as above described by turning of the manual element in a clockwise direction, will cause the ignition supply circuit to be closed, a lead extending from the terminal 5 to the ignition means. The movable contact 12 carried by the element 11 is elec.- trically connected by a heavy flexible lead with the terminal 5'l and when the snap switch is closed to operate the dynamo as a motor for starting the engine, the circuit is completed from the snap switch through tne terminal block 5d and by an external connec-1 tion the circuit continues through the series field 41b of the dynamo, thence through the armature 41 to the other terminal of the battery. The battery will thus supply a current to operate the dynamo as a series motor forvstarting the engine, the ignition circuit having previouslv been closed as already described. After the engine indicate-d at 42 has been started. the operator releases the wing-nut 14a and the engine then operates the dynamo as a shunt wound generator to supply charging current to the battery. This charging circuit is controlled by the electromagnetic switch already described. The shunt winding 17 of the magnet has its lead connected to the terminal blocks 5, 5a; and rear connections extend therefrom to the respective terminals of the dynamo. The series winding 18 has one le`ad connected to the fixed contact 28 and the other lead connected tothe terminal block 5a. It will be.' seenzthat when the dynamo actingI as a generator has attained proper voltage, the shunt winding 17 being subjected thereto, will cause the armature 20 to be attracted and cause the movable contact carried by the armature 20 to engagethe fixed contact 28 and close the circuit through the battery and dynamo armature for charging purposes. If the voltage of the dynamo falls below a predetermined minimum, or a reverse 4current Hows from the battery through the series winding 18, the circuit bet-Ween the battery and charging dynamo will be automatically opened to protect the battery; and likewise at a predetermined minimum or upon the occurrence of no' voltage, the interruption of the ignition circuit will automatically occur by release of the element 38, as already described. If during normal operation, the manual element be turned counter-clockwise the ignition supply will be interrupted as already described, causing the gas engine to stop. whereupon the armature 20 will be released by the magnet automatically, and the circuit between the dynamo and storage battery will be automatically opened to protect the battery from discharge.

Although one form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and one form of connections shown in Fig. 9, my improved controlling means is adapted for various uses and various arrangements of circuit connections and may be modified in construction and relationship of parts without departing Jrrom'the scope of myinvention.

In Fig. 10, the parts are similarly numbered, but the series field winding 41b of the dynamo is diiierently connected. In this instance, one lead from the series field winding is connected to the terminal block 5a and one of the armature terminals is connected to this terminal block through the series fieldl winding, another lead from the same armature terminal passing directly to the terminal 5'. In this instance, the dynamo will `operate as av shunt wound motor to start the gas engine by the closure of the snap switch; but the dynamo will operate as a compound wound generator to charge the battery after the gas engine has been started and the snap switch opened.

Although I- havel shown a construction whereby the ignition supply circuit is closed during normal operation, yet in some cases it may be preferred to cause the element 36 to engage a xcd contact when the system is not in operation and`thus cause this connection to be broken by the element 38 engaging the element 36, as in the case where magneto ignition is used instead of battery v extended so as to pass through the board and have only the wing-nut 14* exposed on the front of the board; and the leads of course would be connected to the devlce at the back of the board. The device may be located at the back of the board with the element 14 extended forwardly from the cover plate 3, or the device may be reversed and mounted on the back of the board and the element 14 extended through the base plate of the device and through the board with a space provided for making the connections between the back of the board and the back of the controlling device. In this case the direction of movement of the wingnut and element 14' will be reversed as `regards vstarting and stopping `from that .above described.

My invention is capable of undergoing various other modifications to suit the rel quirements in any particular case and which need not be particularly referred to.

I claim 1. The combination of a dynamo, battery, gas engine, and an electric controller therefor, comprising a base plate, terminals carried thereby, a manually operated main switch carrled by said base plate for closing and opening a clrcuit including the-dynamo and battery, a manually operated ignition switch carried by said base plate, a cover plate, an electromagnetic device carried by said cover plate for automatically closing and opening the circuit between the dynamo and battery.

2. The combination of a dynamo, battery, gas engine, and an electric controller therefor, comprising a base plate, terminals carried thereby, a manually operated main switch carried by said base plate for closing and opening a circuit including the dynamo and battery, a manually operated ignition switch carried by said base plate, a cover plate, and an electromagnetic device carried by said cover plate for automatically closing and opening the circuit between the dynamo and battery, said electromagnetic device also automatically controlling said ignition switch.

3. The combination of a dynamo, battery, gas engine, and an electriccontroller therefor, comprising a base plate, terminals carried thereby, a manually operated main switch' carried by said base plate for closing and opening a circuit including the dynamo and battery, a manually operated ignition switch carried b v said base plate, a cover plate, Vand an electromagnetic device car- 'ried by said cover plate for `automatically closing and opening the circuit between the dynamo and battery, said main switch and ignition switch being controlled by a single manually operated element. Y

4. The combination of a dynamo, battery, gas engine, and an electric controller therefor, comprising a base plate, terminals carried thereby, a manually operated main switch carried by said base plate for closing and opening a clrcuit including the dynamo and battery, a manually operated ignition switch carried by said base plate, a cover plate, and an electromagnetic device carried by said cover plate for automatically closand opening the circuit between the dynamo and battery, said main switch and ignition switch being controlled by a single manually operated element for closing said main switch and for causing the ignition circuit to .be eiective by control of said ignition switch.

5. The combination of a dynamo, battery, gas engine, and an electric controller therefor, comprising a base plate, terminals carried thereby, a manually operated main switch carried by said base plate for closing and opening a circuit including the dynamo and battery, a manually operated ignition switch carried by said base plate, aV cover plate, and an electromagnetic device carried by said cover plate for automatically closing and opening the circuit between the dynamo and battery, said main switch and ignition switch being controlled by a single manually operated element for closing said main switch and for causing the ignition circuit to be eiective by control of said ignition switch and for also causing the ignition circuit to be rendered ineffective by control of said ignition switch.

FREDERIC HENRY BULLINGEB.

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